June 20th - St. Adalbert of Magdeburg, OSB B (RM)
Died 981
Sometimes known as the "Apostle of the Slavs", was possibly born in
Alsace.
At the age of 70, Princess Saint Olga of Kiev was baptized in
Constantinople. The last woman to rule Russia for may centuries, this
remarkable lady asked Emperor Otto the Great to send a missionary from
Germany to convert her subjects. Adalbert, a monk of the Benedictine Saint
Maximin's at Trier (Trèves), was sent by Otto with a small group to
evangelize Russia. They had just begun their work when Princess Olga's
pagan
son Svyatoslav deposed his mother in 961. The missionaries were forced to
flee, and many of Adalbert's companions were killed by the heathen near
Kiev. He escaped with difficulty and returned to Mainz, Germany, where he
served at the imperial court for four years.
Otto appointed Adalbert abbot of an important monastery at Weissenberg,
where he became known as a patron of learning. He held that part of a
monk's
duty was to record the history of God's world, and so we still possess a
chronicle of Adalbert's time, written by his brothers at Weissenberg.
Many of Otto's subjects were ready to revolt whenever they thought
insurrection might succeed. Otto therefore decided to found a new,
fortified
city, Magdeburg, to dominate Saxony. He wanted it to become a Christian
center as well as a fortress so he founded a new abbey and persuaded the
pope to create a new see. In 968, Adalbert was given the office of
archbishop of Magdeburg with jurisdiction over the Slavs beyond the Elbe
together with the Wends. He spent the balance of his life trying to
evangelize the Wends and reform religious communities in his diocese.
Adalbert also established dioceses at Nauemburg, Meissen, Merseburg,
Brandenburg, Havelberg in Germany and Poznan in Poland. A student in
Adalbert's time who went on to do important work among the Slavs was
Voitech
of Prague, later canonized as Saint Adalbert of Prague.
After ruling the see of Magdeburg for 13 years, he died while on a visit
to
Merseburg (Attwater, Benedictines, Bentley, Delaney, Encyclopedia,
Farmer).
Saint Quote:
"Ask of God his graces in the name of Jesus Christ, and you shall obtain
whatsoever you desire. This our Saviour has promised, and his promise
cannot
fail"
-St. Alphonsus de Liguori - "The True Spouse of Jesus Christ"
Bible Quotes:
"If you then being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children: how
much more will your Father who is in heaven, give good things to them that
ask him?" - Matthew 7:11
"if you ask the Father anything in my name, he will give it you" - John
16:23
Psalm 103 (104)
Hymn to God the Creator
Bless the Lord, my soul!
Lord, my God, how great you are!
You are robed in majesty and splendour;
you are wrapped in light as in a cloak.
You stretch out the sky like an awning,
you build your palace upon the waters.
You make the clouds your chariot,
you walk upon the wings of the wind.
You make the breezes your messengers,
you make burning fire your minister.
You set the earth upon its foundation:
from age to age it will stand firm.
Deep oceans covered it like a garment,
and the waters stood high above the mountains;
but you rebuked them and they fled;
at the sound of your thunder they fled in terror.
They rise to the mountains or sink to the valleys,
to the places you have decreed for them.
You have given them a boundary they must not cross;
they will never come back to cover the earth.
You make springs arise to feed the streams,
that flow in the midst of the mountains.
All the beasts of the field will drink from them
and the wild asses will quench their thirst.
Above them will nest the birds of the sky,
from among the branches their voices will sound.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,
as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,
world without end.
Amen.
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Psalm 103 (104)
From your palace you water the mountains,
and thus you give plenty to the earth.
You bring forth grass for the cattle,
and plants for the service of man.
You bring forth bread from the land,
and wine to make man's heart rejoice.
Oil, to make the face shine;
and bread to make man's heart strong.
The trees of the Lord have all that they need,
and the cedars of Lebanon, that he planted.
Small birds will nest there,
and storks at the tops of the trees.
For wild goats there are the high mountains;
the crags are a refuge for the coneys.
He made the moon so that time could be measured;
the sun knows the hour of its setting.
You send shadows, and night falls:
then all the beasts of the woods come out,
lion cubs roaring for their prey,
asking God for their food.
When the sun rises they come back together
to lie in their lairs;
man goes out to his labour,
and works until evening.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,
as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,
world without end.
Amen.
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Psalm 103 (104)
How many are your works, O Lord!
You have made all things in your wisdom,
and the earth is full of your creatures.
The sea is broad and immense:
sea-creatures swim there, both small and large,
too many to count.
Ships sail across it;
Leviathan lives there, the monster;
you made him to play with.
All of them look to you
to give them their food when they need it.
You give it to them, and they gather;
you open your hand, they are filled with good things.
But turn away, and they are dismayed;
take away their breath, and they die,
once more they will turn into dust.
You will send forth your breath, they will come to life;
you will renew the face of the earth.
Glory be to the Lord, for ever;
let the Lord rejoice in his works.
He turns his gaze to the earth, and it trembles;
he touches the mountains, and they smoke.
I will sing to the Lord all my life;
as long as I exist, I will sing songs to God.
May my praises be pleasing to him;
truly I will delight in the Lord.
Let sinners perish from the earth,
let the wicked vanish from existence.
Bless the Lord, my soul!
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